A 69-year-old man who had been reported missing since Friday was found dead in the Soca River on Saturday. The body was discovered near the dam of the Ajba small hydroelectric power plant in the municipality of Kanal ob Soci.
According to the Nova Gorica Police Directorate, the man’s family reported him missing on Friday evening after he failed to return home. Authorities located his vehicle parked near the Ajba hydroelectric plant. Preliminary investigations indicate that the man stopped near a metal fence along the riverbank on Friday afternoon before falling down the steep slope into the water.
A search operation involving 23 personnel was launched on Saturday, including police officers, divers from the Nova Gorica Public Fire and Rescue Service, divers from the Tolmin Underwater Activities Society, and members of the Kanal Voluntary Fire Department. Divers recovered the man’s body from the dam’s grates.
A coroner confirmed the death at the scene and found no signs of foul play. Authorities have ruled out third-party involvement, concluding that the man likely died by drowning. A sanitary autopsy has been ordered at the Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the exact cause of death. The Nova Gorica District Court and the District State Prosecutor’s Office have been notified of the incident.
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